


All about time

by upintheattic



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Adventure Time: Distant Lands, Adventure Time: Islands, Character Study, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Short & Sweet, finn needs a hug (adventure time), mommy son bonding while crying, takes place between meeting his mom and before he leaves, yo martin kinda sucks but at one point minerva didnt think so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29862387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/upintheattic/pseuds/upintheattic
Summary: Finn gets a moment alone with his mom and there's something that he wants to ask. Honestly, there's 1000s of things he wants to ask and tell her, but she's the only person that could give him an answer to something his dad would never admit.
Kudos: 10





	All about time

**Author's Note:**

> just a small little fic between these characters whom i love and make me very sad whenever i think about them for too long. here's a glance at that because islands sure as hell wasn't going give us the proper closure of seeing finn talk more with his mom. still salty over that also i really love minerva

Finn played with the frayed ends of his blue shorts nervously biting his tongue on a lingering question. Glob, he would need to go to Tree Trunks to fix all the rips in his clothes but he pushes that thought aside. There’s a funny knot forming in his stomach and Minerva is patching up some wounds on his knees since he got scraped up on his travels, but then again he always manages to get injured. Still it's only minor bumps and cuts. He’s reminded of the way Margaret used to patch up him and his dog brothers similarly.

“It's going to string a little, okay?” One of the many Minerva bots says softly and presses a small cotton swab against his bruised skin. It smells funny and Finn can’t tell what she’s using to clean the cuts but doesn’t care enough to ask. That was a half lie. He was too nervous to ask, to say anything really. The clinic a Minerva bot took him is obviously old and hasn’t been used in years but there’s plenty of supplies, everything covered in dust and having to be cleaned by another mom-bot who doesn’t speak, doesn’t look at him, doesn’t do anything but the job it was given. It’s a little unnerving and Finn pretends it isn’t there, trying to focus on the one that’s talking to him and filling in for the real Minerva who was controlling it. 

Finn hisses a little at the icy hot burn from whatever the funny liquid is and Minerva stops immediately, scared and retracts her hand away quickly. “Does it hurt too badly? Do you need to hold my hand? Minerva bot 46 come he-”

“I’m okay.” Finn tries to reassure her quickly, the bot called on staring at him with vacant eyes paused in dusting off a box of Band-Aids. “I’m a big boy and big boys can handle whatever you’re using. I’ve felt way worse burns. One time back home Jake put me in a volcano- head first! And I…” Finn’s excitement retelling the story dies when he sees the scared look on his mom’s face and laughs awkwardly. “Anyways… It’s not important. I’m okay, promise.”

His small smile is enough for Minerva to slowly go back to cleaning off the dry blood from both his knees, needing to use nearly five cotton swabs just to do it. Both humans now have questions hanging over them and twisting up in the pits of their stomachs- Finn feeling it more literally than his mom, still both were too unsure and hesitant to ask, not wanting to hit a nerve.

“Want a band aid with a funny cat on it?” Minerva finally says and it’s not the question she wants to say but the only thing that can comfortably come out her mouth. “Or a smiling purple shark?”

“Shark, please.” Finn grins because sharks are way cooler than cats. At least, that’s what Jake always told him. It kind of reminds him of Sword Shark and he gets a little bummed remembering he’s dead. 

The second Minerva bot walks over to them and hands the band aids to the identical bot that’s bent down in front of Finn. “Thank you. You’re dismissed.” There’s a nod and the bot leaves without ever speaking a word. Finn always imagined what his bio mom’s voice might be like, Margaret’s voice always came worming back into his mind. Minerva’s voice is much different, softer and tired. So very tired and there's sadness behind it even now and Finn thinks he knows why. The question he’s been wanting to ask pops back in his head and he watches his mom carefully place the band aids on his knees. A couple are needed to cover all the various cuts and there are various scars nearby that make Minerva feel more uneasy. 

“Hey mom,” Finn can’t take it anymore and he knows he’s going to go crazy if he never gets to ask. He already has too many regrets, this can’t be one of them. “What did you ever see in old Martin anyways? I mean, you seem super good and nice and he’s…. A real ding dong.”

Minerva freezes again and her eyes are wide, bots don’t blink and it becomes obvious at that moment. Finn bites his bottom lip and shrinks into himself realizing his word choice was in poor taste, he never was the wordsmith. Swords usually did all the talking. Or Jake. He wonders where his brother is right now and if he’s okay. If Susan and BMO are okay. Finn thinks he’s just an ocean of questions and drowning without any answers to hang onto. 

“So he was with you?” Her voice is a little forced but it’s hard to tell if there’s any anger behind it, seemingly mostly in shock. 

Finn shrugs and pokes awkwardly at his freshly band aided knees. “For a little bit. I met him in some space prison that some real nasty baddies get sent away too. I thought… I thought if I went and found him he would help me figure out my human self, but he was just a huge wad instead!” Finn is trying not to cry, but it’s hard when his voice cracks and every feeling towards his dad comes bubbling back up. He only wanted to ask to see if maybe at one point Martin was good, if he ever cared for Finn once in his life. Part of him hopes the answer is no just so it’s easier to hate the guy and forget about him. Finn knew either way he couldn’t do that.

Minerva holds Finn’s hand and wipes away a few tears. This felt a little more normal, they missed each other in their lives for so long but there was still comfort in being back together again. 

“Hey now, it’s alright. Your dad has always been a… Questionable man but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care.” She’s sitting next to him on the clinic bed now and holding him in her arms likes he’s a baby again, pulling down his hat and petting his hair. “Tell me how did Martin even get sent to a space prison? Are there humans back on the mainland still trying to get to space?”

“There’s no humans in Ooo. Well, non mutated ones at least. Just Susan and me-Oh! And Mo but I think he might have croaked. PB has a spaceship and so does Banana Man, neither would help Martin though.”

“That gum ruler has a working spaceship?” She laughs, mostly because it sounds so crazy. The world is so different than what was in the ‘Before’ times, but no one really knew what those times were really like. Maybe gum rulers were a thing back then too.

“Yeah, she’s really smart. I think you would like her.” 

There isn’t a response to that. That gum girl had sent Finn to do dangerous tasks and even if Finn always turned out okay in the end Minerva wasn’t willing to forgive so easily.

“Why was Martin in the space prison?”

“Never got the chance to ask, not that he would tell me anyways. I don’t want to break your heart and talk about how much of a windbag he is, but I don’t want to lie either.” Finn admits and cuddles closer to his mom, arms wrapped around her lower torso and the cold robotic skin pressing against his cheeks makes him shiver for a second. “I asked him about you… He said you were nice but thinking about it made him stressed out. I know he lies about a lot of things but I’m glad he didn’t when it came to you…. He said he always meant to come for me, I want to believe that too. But… I don’t even know what he was talking about. Where did I go?”

It’s a painful memory and one Minerva has been plagued with for years, despite everything she never got any clues as to what happened. She was forced to assume her boys had died in the ocean or… Martin left with Finn. She never knew why and maybe she still can’t piece together everything but at least she has Finn back. Even if it’s just for a little bit. She can hold him in her arms and pretend they didn’t lose a life together. Martin burned every bridge behind him. Minerva wanted to move forward with the things that were left behind.

“I guess Martin left us both…” She sighs. “He was good, mostly, at one point in his life. A con man for sure but he cared still. He loved you a lot when you were a baby. I will always think that’s true, but he did bad things in his past and I suppose it caught up to him and you were just in the cross fires. A baby,” she wants to cry but she can’t for a number of reasons. “Floating all by yourself in the middle of the ocean. You must’ve been so scared.” Minerva holds him a little closer and Finn closes his eyes to avoid any more tears running silently down his cheeks.

“When I was younger I had a really big fear of the ocean and a demon came out of my belly button to tease me about it. I’m over it now.” Finn sounds a little muffled with his face pressed into his mother’s chest, the only body warmth being his own. 

“Despite everything you’ve become such a good person, hero and an adventurer. A helper like I always dreamed, even with your own hat. My perfect little Finn.” There’s a soft hum that follows after and it’s comforting, even with the sour thoughts of Martin it couldn’t ruin that she had her boy back. She still missed the con man though, if only a little. Maybe they were never meant to be a full family. Maybe they didn’t need to be.

“Haha, yeah. Jake and I skinned a bear for it. Mom-my other mom- had made me one when I was little because I had one like it when they found me but it was all messed up. I guess I always stuck with the look, it’s kind of my thing and now I know why.” He’s tired and getting a little sleepy but refuses to waste the chance to talk more.

“Jake and your other… Dog family, they were always good to you?” It was Minerva’s turn to get a looming question answered. “What were their names again?”

“There’s Jake and then my other older brother Jermaine who isn’t magic-”

“So he doesn’t talk?”

Finn looks up at her a little sideways. “What does talking have to do with it? He talks. Are dogs not meant to talk?”

“Never mind, baby. Go on, I want know about your dog parents, Finn.” She’s half smiling but there’s the obvious thought that things were so weird off the island. 

“Right, and uh, my dog parents were Joshua and Margaret. They were the coolest! Mom-I mean, Margaret always worried about me fitting in when I was a pup but the three of us were great together. Oh! And dad had a sword made out of demon blood that I got after... “ Finn pauses to swallow the lump in his throat. “After they died. Huh, guess I have a real knack for losing parents.” It was meant to be a joke but he’s crying again and he hates that. One of these days he’s going to be all cried out but it doesn’t seem it’ll happen any time soon.

“Oh, my little pup-boy, it’s not for a lack of loving you. None of us ever left you out of our own free will. Not me, not those nice dogs, and at one point not even your father. Sometimes life happens and things change but it’s okay. You’ll get through it, and now you can always come to me.” Minerva presses their foreheads together and Finn closes his eyes calming down.

“And you could always come back to Ooo. The humans could be on the mainland again, like before. I can show you the tree house and maybe meet my friends. I think the only one that’s ever seen a human before me was Marceline the Vampire Queen. I wish Mo was still around, he would’ve loved to see you guys off the island.” Finn chuckles but it’s sad. All of this was sad. He hoped it would’ve been different but he knew the truth even before this. You don’t go missing for years and randomly turn back up thinking no one is going to cry to the heavens that you’re still alive. 

“She’s real? I always thought she was made up to scare kids and keep us from wanting to leave. Mhm, and Mo... Mo… Oh! From MoCo? I knew that little robot of yours seemed familiar. He helped in the early years until one day all the robots and tech stopped showing up, we thought he had died and I suppose he has now. We were always too scared to check. We’ve always been too scared.”

Finn is staring up at his mom with stars in his eyes, vision a little blurred with tears. “More reason to come back with us. Please, mom, I don’t… Want lose you again.” He tugs on her lab coat and she hugs him a little tighter. 

“Oh, Finn, I really love you. The island people… Even me, we aren’t ready to leave. But soon, I want to see your world and be in your life. I promise, we’ll get to be a family together on the mainland one day. You and me and Jake and all your weird magic friends. They’ve taken care of you and I want to thank them for it. Just wait for me a little longer, okay?” 

Finn hugs his mom tighter than he’s ever hugged anyone and cries a little more into her shoulder, he’s never cried this much before at once but this had been a lifetime coming. This was real, finally he got to met both his parents and learn about the other humans, it really finally happened after so long. There were times where he thought he would live and die never knowing, always wondering where that missing part of himself was and it was here, hidden deep in the middle of the ocean and his chest hurt from how full it felt.

“Yeah,” he let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> it always made me upset that the islands series doesn't give us much actual closure. at the end finn says he's changed but we don't get to see that happen?? its off screen so we don't know how he changed or anything which was lame! barely getting to have a more emotional scene with his mom was such a rip! i wanted them to talk and bond and cry more! anyways i might write another small thing for them but i need go back to doing hw brb <3


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